It's the beginning of a Thankful week!!

My last post wished y'all a happy middle of the week. This post is wishing everyone a HAPPY beginning of a brand new week. One where we should be giving "Thanks" for all the many blessings we have.

As y'all know I have been working on those hand painted glass Christmas ball ornaments and they seem to be multiplying on me peoples...hehe. That's alright though because I'm really having fun painting and using glitter. Ohhhh, the use of the glitter is an added bonus indeed. ^_^  I took the ones I finished into the gift shop yesterday as I was helping out for the day and three of them went.....just like that. Yeah!!! The three sea turtles so I guess today I'll be a painting sea turtles.

The three that SOLD!! ^_^

Here's the remaining ones that are at the shop. I hope that if you are a local that you will go by Beach Reflections / Blue Mermaid gift shop and if not local or just like to shop online then please visit their online store. 

Now...time to paint some sea turtles and enjoy a relaxing Sunday. I hope that YOU have a wonderful Sunday, the beginning of a new week. Remember peoples, that it IS a new week which is like a new chapter in a book where you are the writer. One where you can start over, each and every day......enjoy!!!

Sending you Mermaid Kisses and Starfish Wishes,
Regi

Monday....Monday!!

It's Monday and for someone like me that stays at home, it's pretty much like every other day, which means I have no problems with Mondays. ^_^

I'm working with my broken shells today and just enjoying the quiet time while the Chazman is at school and the mister is at work.

The mermaid and the seahorse I started a few weeks ago. Had to finish them because I was so tired of them sitting on my desk staring at me....hehe.

I'm working on some oyster shell ring holders and listening to some music. What an awesome Monday for sure.

Until next time.......Hugs,
Regi

I'm HUMAN again...hehe

OK well.....as human as a human can feel that actually feels as though she should be dancing in a garden with dragonfly wings or perhaps stomping in the Highlands and trying not to sneeze any fireballs out or or perhaps swimming under the blue/green sea and peeking my head out and then diving down deep letting my mermaid tail unfurl to push me faster as I swim with the narwhals. Yeppers.....my imagination is back to it's whimsical self so that means I am feeling so so soooooo much better!!! The Chazman is too and that I am really thankful for. No more nasty visitors for us (looking around)

I hope that you had a wonderful weekend. Ours was a restful, quiet one with the exception of going to take my jewelry and ooaks to Diane and Fonda at Beach Reflections, which by the way is going to be opening their doors for business this Thursday. The shop looks fantastic and is so unique and different from any down here. It's going to be THE place to go for our tourist and locals. ^_^

While we were there Diane had a surprise for me....some oyster shells and a basket filled with so many pretty broken shells. She knows how much I luv em!!!

As soon as we got home I sat down at the table and started going through them. Man on man...my muse started dancing and singing and tugging on my ear. HEHE

Some shells I'm already thinking of using. See the ones on the right? Mermaid tails!! 

 These lil beauties and I do mean LITTLE came from inside some of the bigger shells. See the auger shell and the tiny one next to it. That's not a broken one but a small whole one. ^_^

This is a whole shell too and one that I love to find and am so happy that Diane had it in the stash she gave me. It's called a "Baby's ear". 

Here's a photo with some WIP ooaks. I showed ya'll the lil mermaid stuck in the shell the other day. The seahorse unicorn is cured but I have to finish detailing him and add another shell to it's base. The three shells sitting in front are from the stash and ones I'm going to be using next. Oh yes....my muse will have me busy from some time..hehe

This is a broken Murex shell and one that I'm so hoping that one day I will find intact. They are so lovely. If you remember I had a smaller broken one that I used in one of my medallions I made and I called it a mermaid key.

These shells look like something that would sit on a Victorian woman's dressing table. The whole ones have a look of lace being on them.

One day I WILL find one of these whole!!!!

Now that I have plenty to keep me busy I best be getting to it. I hope that you have an awesome Monday and thank you for dropping by for a visit. I think I might just be giving away one of my jewelry pieces this week so come back to visit. Yea....yea....that's a bribe...hehe

Until next time...............keep a shell in your pocket and some sand between your toes,

Regi

Seahorse love....Nerissa and Nixie

The ocean is a fascinating world and if we could only see everything that happens beneath the waves. It's an enchanting realm filled with delight and wonder.....more than most of us could even begin to imagine. If only our world above the waves could get along together as well as the one below the waves....every creature great and small living in harmony and peace...caring for each other...protecting each other and loving each other as all families should.

Two such creatures that share the sea and are totally devoted to one another are Nerissa and Nixie. A sweet, tiny little mermaid and her constant companion, a seahorse named Nixie. Ohhhh, the adventures these two have together. Hunting for old shipwrecks and gathering up treasures galore.

Narissa and Nixie are one of my original Southern Ooaks designs in the mermaid series. Each one has a strong wire armature underneath their fully hand sculpted bodies. Narissa's face was detailed using acrylic paints along with fine MICA powders. Her eyes, hand painted on bone beads. Her hair is dyed pulled wool yarn. Her tata covers are natural shells found on one of our walks on the beach in Gulf Shores, AL. Her tail was detailed using fine MICA powders mixed with a glaze that gives it that wet look. Nixie was detailed using acrylic paints and sealed for protection. Both sculpts are attached with a wire base to a natural sea urchin. The white bottom base has been covered in German glass to give it that sandy look. They sit at 5 inches from base to the tip of Narissa's flowing locks.

These two sweet characters will be available in my Etsy shop. I have free shipping in the US and will ship everywhere else the lowest I can. I hope these two whisper to you.......take us home!!!

Until next time...........Hugs,
Regi

Seahorse love WIP

I know I am posting a bit late today but wanted to show ya'll what I'm working on. A new mermaid piece and noooo, it's not a broken shell one...this time..hehe!!! This one is called seahorse love. The focal piece is the natural sea urchin that the seahorse and mermaid are attached to.

We did not find it on one of our beach walks but last week when the Chazman and I were playing tourist for the day. We finally went to a really cool place called Dino's that we have been wanting to wander through since we moved here. (three years ago...about time we did, eh?)  They have all kinds of neat items and the sea urchin was one of those cool items we purchased.

Until next time..........Hugs,
Regi

Mermaid muse is a splashing

Pooh and bother...bother..bother!! I am still experiencing some technical difficulties.....with my eyes... but I have to say that they seem to be slowly coming back into focus as I get this diabetes under control. YEA!!  I'm still wearing my super strong reading glasses and I can't sculpt just yet but I have been going bonkers not working on "something". It seems my mermaid muse has been giving this some thoughts as well and she came today just a splashing about an idea she had for me. I have to say, it's a good idea and one that I'm hopefully going to be able to do!! She had me pull out my sea green assortment of beads as well as my ocean blue assortment and then sweetly sang of a seahorse galloping through the sea.

Isn't my seahorse a handsome fella??  Well...he will be when I'm finished with him....I hope. ^_^   He is going to be an earring cuff that hooks to your ear. I started him this afternoon...wrapping a bronze wire around the base wire and adding beads as I go. I plan on making a pair of dangle earrings to match the beads I'm using in his body too. So happy to be working on something!!

I hope that you are staying busy and having some creative fun. Would love to hear what you're working on. Thank you for coming to visit with me too....it means the world to me!! Until next time.............Hugs,

Regi

Time is FLYING!!

OMGOSH...I can't believe it's been a week since I last posted. Where in the heck is the time going to? Seems like I was just sitting here doing the mermaid tail post. I need it to slow down a bit...ppplease!!!! ^_^

I guess it's going by fast because it's summertime and thank the good LORD that it is. I love this time of year. The Chazman is home with me....we get to go to the beach more and our little town has so many things happening. But really...I want to enjoy all this and not feel as though I'm traveling through time at a rapid rate of speed. LOL

With it being summer that means that we have more tourist here and that's a good thang!!! It also however means that we are hopping on the weekends to get the cleaning done between one group checking out and another checking in. We have started taking our bath suits with us so that when we finish cleaning we can head on down to the beach. I mean..we are already right there at it...so we should go..ri iight??

Since I posted my mermaid tail post last week I have gotten another order...YEA...WOOT WOOT!! I love making my ooaks and jewelry but I really love making them AND selling them. The order was for two mermaid tails and a seahorse charm. I think they turned out swimmingly...HA!! Get it...mermaid tails...swimmingly...ok you get it. ^_^

It's so hard sometimes to capture the true colors in things when taking a snap shot. The first tail is green with a bit of teal in it....while the second one is a darker green with a bit of blue.

Cute Li'l fella, huh? This is for a little guy and I hope he will love wearing it. My charms look good on ribbons, hemp rope, leather necklaces and chains. I don't supply those because it seems everyone wants something different. I have been thinking of doing some of my hemp rope chokers and doing smaller mermaid tails and seahorses for them. Also...some ribbon ones. Just have to get my pickle jar filled up..LOL!!

Now the person that placed this order has been my mentor when it comes to putting myself out there. She has guided me and helped me and PUSHED me when I needed that little nudge. She has given me a wonderful opportunity to do some work at home and get paid. Imagine...sitting in front of this little box and getting paid. LOVE IT!!! Ohhhh...what's my friends name...it's Julee and she is one of my heart strings. Some of you might know her from Mommy's Memorandum  and if you don't know about this awesome chick and her blog, you really need to check her out. Fantastic reviews, giveaways and just plain old good stuff to know.

I'm working on several different projects and promise to give more details later....but...for now..I'm being pushed out of my chair by the CHAZMAN!! ROFL Seems my computer time is over and his is starting. Guess I have to share, huh? ^_^

Ohhh before I go (Chaz had to run to the bathroom before he started playing) here's one other project that I completed. One of my sealife medallions that I make with shells we find on our beach walkabouts. This one has a beautiful fan shell with a grouping of barnacles. The starfish is clay and the backing is clay. The glass piece is seaglass that a friend sent me.The earrings (seaglass) I made to match. Shhhhh...this is going to Julee as a thank you gift. She so deserves it!!!!!

Until next time........HUGS,
Regi

Sealife pieces for Trim A Tree event!!

I had so much more I wanted to do for the TAT event but alas...my head is a pounding and I can barely focus so I think it's time to call it a wrap. I hope that some of my items will be a hit and sell. I know times are hard for everyone BUT I think with that being said...it's a good year to buy from local artist. Yep...that sounds mighty good to me. Doesn't it to you?

I made some of my mermaid tail charms and I didn't attach any chains or ribbons or cords to them. It will keep the cost down for me and for whom ever purchases one. It seems that everyone has a certain preference for what they like so I thought it a good idea just to factor that out and let the buyer decide later on.

Remember the WIP teaser of the three seahorses on my previous post? I was going to make a bracelet and earrings with them but just ran out of time to do one of my macrame bracelets. Well.......ran out of time and steam ..hehe) I made the earrings I had planned and in place of the bracelet I made a keychain.

I love working with my shells and doing anything with regards to the ocean. We have quiet the collection of shells from our walkabouts too. I have noticed when being out and about in town that some of the women are wearing the larger medallion necklaces. I thought medallion...shells...clay....yep....I can make one and I did. Hmmmm...actually I made two. Again...I didn't attach a chain or ribbon or cord to the medallion. The opening in the top will allow the buyer to use any of the three.

This kinda has a Chinese look to it,doesn't it? The red on the shell is not paint....it's actually colors in the shell.

I have had these sea glass beads for some time and have just been dying to use them. They just add so much to this piece...or at least I think so. Please tell me it does and I'm just not so POOPED that I just think it does..LOL!!

Now my last sea item is one that I was so afraid that my clumsy fingers wouldn't be able to do. Natural sand dollars. I sealed them and attached German glass to the front.....makes it look like someone just picked it up from the beach. Surprise..Surprise, I didn't break any of them. I really was worried. The sealer gave them some added strength. I attached a shell to the rope tie along with the legend of the sand dollar.

I know that it's hard to read the attached card so I will type it again for you....it's really a very unique legend.

The Sand Dollar

One of nature's most unusual shells.

The five splits in the shell represent the five

wounds in the body of Christ.

The Easter Lily design has, in it's center, a

five pointed star, the star of Bethlehem.

On the back is the outline of the Poinsettia,

the Christmas flower.

When the shell is broken open carefully,

five perfect replicas of a dove can be found,

These are the doves of Peace.

I love this legend and I do hope that folks won't try and break them open to see if the doves are there. Believe me...they are there!!! 

I'm excited to have pieces in the event and I hope it's a good year for all the artist that have their works in it too. I already have my Alice characters and my Faerie Races series there. I'm also going to be taking Santa and Chester, the mermaid twins, the Man in the Moon by the sea, my needle felted mermaid and Gypsy the Fall faerie. If you are in our area anytime from November 10th through to the 23rd of December, please go by and see all the amazing and wonderful works by our local artist. I'm sure you can find something that just screams "TAKE ME HOME".

Until next time....Hugs, Regi

If you are new to the old Southern Ooaks and don't know about TAT (Trim A Tree) then click HERE to read all about just what it's about. Thank you so much for visiting and I hope you come back often. I LOVE my visitors!!